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NFL's Sherrick McManis leads the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame's newest class

journal star staff
·4 min read

A National Football League veteran, an NCAA medalist, two outstanding former coaches and a longtime sports journalist comprise the 2024 class of individual inductees to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.

The five inductees are Richwoods alum Sherrick McManis, who played 11 years in the NFL; wrestling champion Grant Hoerr from Morton; longtime Bradley baseball coach Dewey Kalmer; longtime Limestone softball coach Lou Dobrydnia, and retired Journal Star sports editor Kirk Wessler.

They will be inducted at a March 23 banquet in the Peoria Civic Center ballroom, along with four teams — 1980-81 Richwoods girls basketball, 1979-80 Peoria Rivermen hockey, plus 2000 and 2002 Peoria Pirates football. The teams were announced in November.

The winner of the Neve Harms Award for meritorious service and the top 2023 Tri-County players and coaches also will be honored; those winners will be announced next week.

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Sherrick McManis

McManis played eight positions while leading Richwoods to the state playoffs in three successive seasons and was named 2005 Journal Star Player of the Year. He then spent four years at Northwestern, where he still ranks in the Wildcats’ career, single-season and single-game top 10s for pass breakups, interceptions and kickoff returns. Selected in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, McManis played two seasons for the Houston Texans, then nine for the Chicago Bears. He excelled on special teams but broke into the starting defensive lineup as a nickel back in 2018. He finished his career with 112 solo tackles, 24 assists, 10 quarterback hits, 4 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions.

Grant Hoerr

Hoerr was a two-time IHSA state champion wrestler at Morton High School, posting an 82-0 record over his junior and senior seasons. Wrestling at 130 pounds as a senior, he earned high school all-America honors as a senior and was awarded a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. A three-time qualifier for NCAA nationals, Hoerr won fourth place at 141 pounds in 2001. He was twice named the Badgers’ Most Improved Wrestler.

Dewey Kalmer

Kalmer coached Bradley baseball from 1980-2008 and is the winningest coach in any sport in BU history, posting a record of 842-772-4. Including 11 previous seasons at his alma mater, Quincy University, Kalmer retired with 1,032 coaching victories in 40 seasons and was the 36th coach in NCAA Division I baseball history to reach 1,000 career wins. He coached 56 players who were drafted by Major League Baseball, including 21 first-rounders. Eight of his players reached the major leagues, including Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.

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Lou Dobrydnia

Dobrydnia’s Limestone softball powerhouse compiled a 303-95 record over her 15-year career. From 1980 through 1982, the Rockets were undefeated in Mid-State 10 Conference play. Dobrydnia took four teams to the IHSA Elite Eight, including successive appearances in 1985, 1986 and 1987, when she was named Class AA Coach of the Year by the Illinois Coaches Association for Girls and Women’s Sports. Her Rockets finished second in 1985 and fourth in 1980. Thirty-four of her players received college softball scholarships, including 16 to play NCAA Division I. Among her proteges was pitcher Robin Smith, who set a national record with three perfect games in 1987 and a state record with 11 career no-hitters.

Kirk Wessler

Wessler, a graduate of Peoria High and Bradley, was one of the nation’s top sportswriters during a 41-year career that included 27 years as sports editor and columnist at the Peoria Journal Star. Also working for the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune and Dallas Times-Herald, Wessler covered the gamut from youth sports to the Olympics, including 26 NCAA Final Fours, seven World Series, seven U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Super Bowl and more than 100 state championships. He won dozens of national and state awards, and in 2018 he was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame.

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Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame ceremony

  • When: March 23, 2024

  • Where: Peoria Civic Center Ballroom

  • Details: Social hour at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. Tickets are $55 through March 14 and $65 thereafter. No tickets are available at the door. To order tickets, contact Susie Stockman: (309) 691-3553 or susie1026@comcast.net.

  • Individual inductees: Richwoods alum and NFL veteran Sherrick McManis; wrestling champion Grant Hoerr from Morton; longtime Bradley baseball coach Dewey Kalmer; longtime Limestone softball coach Lou Dobrydnia, and retired Journal Star sports editor Kirk Wessler.

  • Team inductees: Championship 2000 and 2002 Peoria Pirates indoor football teams, the 1999-2000 champion Peoria Rivermen hockey team, and the 1980-81 Richwoods girls basketball team.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame 2023: Sherrick McManis, Chicago Bears